Pittsburgh water crisis

[4] Pittsburgh's water lines include a significant number of lead pipes which have inevitably eroded to a certain degree within the past few decades.

In 2014, the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA) broke state law by switching from soda ash to caustic soda as an anti-corrosion treatment without first receiving the necessary approval and permits from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) as required by Pennsylvania.

Newborns with lead poisoning are prone to premature death, lower birth weight, and delayed growth.

Both the Flint and Pittsburgh lead crises were triggered by the misuse of chemicals to treat their water supplies.

[11] Michigan attorney general Bill Schuette filed a lawsuit against Veolia in 2016 for professional negligence.

[15] Although the Pittsburgh lead crisis has been of comparable magnitude to Flint's, it has been significantly less publicized as officials have seemingly downplayed the issue.

However, as the PWSA embarked on this task, an unexpected obstacle interfered with the progress of the lead pipe removal.

[17] The best, long-term solution is to remove all of the lead service lines in the city, but despite the legislation allowing for this to happen, it is still a lengthy and expensive endeavor that is unlikely to be fulfilled within the next ten years and could cost close to $400 million.

[16] While the pipe removal process is underway, the PWSA has decided to add orthophosphate to the water as a means of reducing lead corrosion.